Ready to Leap

Ready to LeapPrologue
Sitting lazily in the living room with your headphones on, half-watching A Bug's
Life with your two little sisters is definitely not what most fifteen year olds would
call a fun Saturday night. Yet there I was, perfectly content with the bright glow of the
TV in the darkened room blaring strongly in my face while Taylor Swift's passionate voice
echoed in my ears. Clutching the remote in my hand, my head bobbed along to the song, up
and down, side to side, a ponytail-whipping mantra I was very used to. I tapped my hand
against my thigh to the beat of You Belong with Me, and closed my eyes, picturing
that song being sang live at a concert. Except it wasn't Taylor's voice being sung into
the microphone, and the girl onstage couldn't have been her - she wasn't half as gorgeous.
If you guessed that I was picturing myself singing this song, you're one million percent
correct. Hey, just because I was another boring, unpopular freshman living in Chicago,
does not deny me the right to being a girl with big dreams.
Even though my friends didn't take it seriously.
Even though my sisters thought singing for them is the most famous you can get.
Even though my mom said I should be realistic in terms of career choice, that it was so
hard to make it in that business.
Even though stupid miss-perfect Lily George got all the solos, praise and leads in choirs
and school plays, while I was shunted to the back of the chorus by our lame teacher.
Even though I really didn't think my voice was all that great.
Okay, so my confidence and belief in myself wasn't really all that high at the time. In
fact, it was slightly lower than the standard teenage girl. But hey, what are friends,
inspiring songs, and movie nights with your little sisters for? Heck, being Hannah Amber
Van Cicily wasn't easy, with the unpopularity, flunking science class, and the divorced
parents and all. Being a teenage girl wasn't easy for anyone. Especially when your dreams
weren't really supported by anyone but you. Who cares? Sitting right there and thinking
about everything, the truth in a way showed itself to me. It was time to go upstairs and
write another song. Luckily, the movie was finishing, and mom came in the room to put
Sophie and Ella, who were four and seven, respectively, to bed. I kissed all three of
them, and made my way upstairs.
"Goodnight, Hanny!" Sophie called as I went to my room in the penthouse, in that
too-cute lisp of hers. I smiled, and echoed back the call. Goodnight indeed.
I finally reached my room which I so adored in this apartment, with the enormous windows
that had a great view of lake Michigan. The view was so inspirational, especially on clear
nights, which I liked best, because the city was all lit up and reflecting on the water -
one of the lights being mine. I went to my favourite perch on the window, grabbed my
pink-beaded butterfly notebook, and wrote.
Goodnight
Sitting in the dark,
Feelin' all alone,
Even though there's folks and you're on the phone.
And sittin' there you know, that only you,
Are the one who can make your dreams come true..
Yeah, only you
Chorus
Say goodnight
Throw the blankie off
Pull out that night-light
Take a chance,
Strum that guitar, get up
Sing and dance!
Do whatever you want! (Backup singers echo each last word of the chorus)
Ignore every taunt!
So you've never been kissed,
It don't matter, no, nothing's been missed...
Yeah, yeah!
Say goodnight
Throw the blankie off
Pull out that night-light
Take a chance,
Strum that guitar, get up
Sing and dance!
(Verse 2)
It's all up to you,
And I mean this, true-
You can beat the odds, too.
This could be your
Own fairy tale,
Witches and dragons may want you to fail
But you're gonna prevail...
Yeah, gonna prevail, oh...
(Chorus x2)
(Key change, acapella for now)
Pull out that night light,
Close your storybook -
(Instruments return)
Open your window, say goodnight...
And look!
(Back to acapella)
Say goodnight...and look...
Closing my notebook, I crawled into bed, knowing that this would one day be a hit single.